photo by Jon Elliston My first bicycle was a “girl’s bike” — 20 pounds of slanted tubes and purple-flake paint. It had a banana seat crowned with a pool of purple glitter and matching plastic tassels, which dangled limply from each handlebar, swishing side to side as I rode. The bike was a hand-me-down from … Read more
Back like that: Midnight Star makes the scene after a decades-long hiatus. Goombay!, a late-summer festival staple for 24 years, has seen its fair share of changes. In fact (unlike corn-dog and rock-band-happy Bele Chere), the smaller, community-centered Goombay! has spent two-and-a-half decades not only working to unite cultures and races, but seeking its own … Read more
Planting planning: Fall is a great time to plant trees, and right now is a good time to consider where you have space for apple, cherry, peach or other fruits. Bear in mind that most apples are not self-fertile (meaning you’ll need two for cross-pollination) and that even so-called semi-dwarf trees will cast a long … Read more
Sew what • Who she is: Alana Hodde • What she’s wearing: a dress she made. • Why we love it: Simplicity is touting this pattern [see picture] as the “it” dress, and fashion magazines are parading variations on the theme. Kimono styling takes on different personalities (Geisha, peasant, gypsy … ) depending on the … Read more
Inconvenient bike traffic to proclaim “inconvenient truth” The last time climate-change activist group Rising Tide North America staged a public demonstration in this region, they landed on the front page of Virginia’s Bristol Herald Courier for impeding operations at a coal-fired power plant in Carbo, Va. In that early-July protest, activists locked themselves down to … Read more
Asheville’s Old Europe, previously located on Battery Park Avenue, has relocated and redefined itself with a great new location on the corner of Lexington Avenue and Walnut Street. The new spot retains a cozy European cafe atmosphere and the same homemade pastries and desserts that Old Europe is well known for, but has added table … Read more
Ambiance: Bare bones bar with a great beer selection, a good crowd, and a fun game to playService: Good As far as I can tell, there are only two drawbacks to the Root Bar Number One. First, there is the sand. The sand that forms the floor of the bar’s “rootball” court (for a description … Read more
From The Unintentionally Silly Name Department Asheville Christian-rock group Autumn Rising, one of the growing crop of badly named bands with predictable pop-punk sounds which spring, fully formed, from local high schools each year, recently announced a tentative release date for their debut EP. According to the band’s MySpace blog, the album will be available … Read more
Iron Weed: Lyle Lovett has been mauled by bulls, played Owsley in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and even survived a short-lived marriage to failed stage actress Julia Roberts. “It’s just more of my songs.” That was Lyle Lovett’s deadpan, tongue-in-cheek reply when asked to describe the music on his last album, My Baby … Read more
